This Blog will be my synopsis of regular activity and updates on the plug share website for Electric Vehicle Charging Station. I will regularly list the current total number of stations, number of stations added, and if possible - the number of check-in's or uses of public stations.

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Plugshare now lists (Their Numbers) a total of 16,041 Stations

They use dynamic tracking to both add new - and remove redundant, or test stations that are dropped, so simply adding in the new additions - does not equal the total numbers, and sometimes - new additions are listed - but need to have duplicate entries purged.

Over the last 24 hours - there have been 13 New Public Chargers added to the PlugShare network, plus 98 New Photos, and 7 New home stations being shared.

The additions tracked are:

New Public Chargers Added = 13

New Restricted Stations added = 0

New Photos Added = 98

New Home Stations Shared = 7

87People Checked into Public EV Chargers today.

The last item counted today - was 'Jacob checked in at a residential station (red)'

Acquisitions will see this nationwide provider of EV charging services building destination and location networks throughout Central New York and surrounding areas.

EV sales are growing” said Michael D. Farkas, CEO of CarCharging. “EV sales in January 2013 were more than 300% greater than January 2012, and EV sales in February 2013 were nearly 330% greater than February 2012.CarCharging Group Inc, a leading US provider of convenient electric vehicle (EV) charging services, announced last week its intent to acquire EVPass LLC, a company which specializes in building destination and location networks for...(More)

Better Place officials said Tuesday they have agreed to sell the company’s electric vehicle-charging network in Hawaii to an Oregon-based firm.Portland-based OpConnect will take over the 77 Hawaii charging stations operated by Better Place and replace them with OpConnect units, officials from the two companies said in a news release.OpConnect operates 18 EV charging stations around the country, including two on Maui. Most of its mainland stations are installed...(More)

Solar generated electricity now supplies at least 5 percent of energy demand in certain European countries such as Italy and Germany and is expected to rise to between 8 and 10 percent by 2020, thus making solar more competitive.

The increasing success of solar PV is demonstrated by the world record set by Germany on May 26th 2012 when German PV plants contributed 22GW of solar power, almost half of the peak electricity needed in the country on that particular day.

By the end of 2012, installed European PV systems counted over 2.5 million and that number is expected to double in the next 5 years. Massive solar PV provision is therefore not just inevitable but is already becoming a...(More)

Albasolar, a wholesale distributor specialized in solar photovoltaic distribution to installers, has supplied 3.9 MW in solar modules to EDP -- Portugal’s main power utility -- on the roofs of Continente supermarket chain all across Portugal.The project has been divided into two phases. The first with 2.4 MW has already been concluded. A second one with 1.5 MW is currently under construction. The modules are being placed on a roof area over 50,000 m2 (60,000 yd2) and it is being developed in towns all...(More)

Siemens Energy has been awarded an order from Samsung Renewable Energy Inc. (Samsung) and Pattern Energy Group LP (Pattern) to supply and install 124 wind turbines for the South Kent wind project in Canada.The 270 MW project, located in Southwestern Ontario, will generate enough energy for up to 100,000 Canadian homes.The SWT-2.3-101 wind turbines to be used have a power rating of 2.3 MW each and a rotor diameter of 101 meters. Installation of the wind turbines at the South Kent project is scheduled to begin...(More)

Here a Kilowatt (kW), there a Megawatt (mW), everywhere a GigaWatt (GW), and before you know it - the grid is steadily reducing Coal Use, and Plug-in Electric Cars become the Floating Energy Storage inventory with Vehicle to Grid (V2G) applications growing. There are three different versions of the vehicle-to-grid concept, a distributed generation system, a distributed battery storage system, and a small renewable energy power station.

For a company coming from a few people - with JB Straubel converting a 944 Porsche to Electric, with Lead Acid Batteries and two motors for acceleration, to the Prototype Roadster and formation of Tesla Motors using 18650 Lithium Ion Cells in a highly modified Lotus Elise, to the creation of their first new design production car - The Model S - they have come a long way in a few short years (~6-7 Years).

While some decry they can't charge up at the Tesla Superchargers - taking 98 kW and dumping it into a Volt, LEAF, Focus EV, iMiEV, or a Smart ED - would not necessarily be a great thing on their smaller battery packs! The Model S - only allows this on their much larger battery packs - the 60 kWh and 85 kWh packs as it is! As it is only two North American Electric Vehicles currently access the lower power rated CHAdeMO units at a maximum of 50 kW - the LEAF and iMiEV - when properly equipped.

Tesla has not indicated if it will make the CHAdeMO adapter available in the U.S., but with the part soon to be in production, it would be a logical step.

Many love the Tesla's 'Exclusive Free Supercharging Network' - particularly those who have now bought the Model S, and that will be buying it or the Model X! However - there are currently some 6 Locations of them in California, and 2 on the East Coast, while there are at least 160 of the CHAdeMO Chargers installed in the US, and 2 in Canada so far! So the Sooner Tesla Motors can provide Access to the Mid-Level (compared to their network) DC Fast Charging CHAdeMO units, the better they will be appreciated by customers, and outsiders alike.

Tesla Currently offers Charging from different outlets with their Mobile Connector Cable, using the NEMA 5-15 adapter in regular Wall Outlets at 110-120V, delivering 1.4 kW ((5 Miles of Range per Hour of Charging); NEMA 14-50, for use at KOA and other campground facilities - charging at up to 10 kW (Up to 31 miles of range per hour of charging); and NEMA 6-50 for Welding Equipment Sockets (Same 10 kW MAX); and for Dryer Plugs - they ahve adapters for the NEMA 10-30 (Older Dryers), or NEMA 14-30 (Newer Dryers) - for up to 5.8 kW charging (18 miles of range per hour of charging).NEMA nomenclature - NEMA connector, Wiki Explanation.

They also offer the J1772 Adapter - For the Roadster (Offering up to 56 Miles of Ranger per Hour of Charging at Max Power); and - Included with the Model S when you buy it. From the Facts Page, under the heading - Pricing - "a Mobile Connector and J1772 adapter." Here is a User Photo of the adapter - connected to a J1772 Plug.

They also offer for home charging - the High Powered Wall Connecter - that gives (If you have configured your Model S with the dual Chargers) up to 20 kW - or 62 Miles of Ranger per Hour of Charging (100 Kms per Hour). They say - "The Charger is not the thing you plug into the wall, that’s a Connector. The Charger is actually on-board the car." - which is true for AC Charging. I think they should say - ... 'is not the thing you plug into the car' (instead of 'plug into the wall' - but that's just me).

For DC Fast Charging - the actual charger is in the Unit that provides the Charging Cable - and the car routes the power directly to the batteries - bypassing the on-board chargers. This is the case with using their Supercharging network, and could also be the case when they get the CHAdeMO adapter in operation."Get a Half a Charge in Half an Hour" is one of the current Tesla Marketing lines for the current Superchargers. Also - Charge in Minutes, not Hours, and it's free.

So the Chargers should be targeted to be installed at 120 - 150 Mile Intervals for City Pairs. This would be basically 1/2 a charge on a 60 kWh or 85 kWh Model S cars range spacing. Such Distance might require more than they have announced, if the plan is to cover the USA and Canada, but simply focusing on the I5 California - BC Corridor, and the I95 Florida to Quebec Corridor would be a great start! These routes could then be follow by a North route along the I80/I90 Freeway on the North - and I10 along the South.
This would create a Box of 4 sides that could then be filled in going further forward, with Superchargers connecting Various other City Pairs.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Plugshare now lists (Their Numbers) a total of 16,018 Stations

They use dynamic tracking to both add new - and remove redundant, or test stations that are dropped, so simply adding in the new additions - does not equal the total numbers, and sometimes - new additions are listed - but need to have duplicate entries purged.

Over the last 24 hours - there have been 12 New Public Chargers added to the PlugShare network, plus 56 New Photos, and 1 New home station being shared. 1 Restricted Station was also added.

First comes the CA-MiEV, a B-segment vehicle intended to showcase where Mitsubishi could take its electric car technology next. Supported by three years of feedback from its global audience of i-MiEV customers, the new CA-MiEV offers a range of around 187 miles per charge. Recharging the battery takes around four hours on a standard 240V charge, or just 30 minutes for an 80 per cent charge using a CHAdeMO standard fast charger. Thanks to its unique drivetrain set-up, the car offers a choice of operations. With a motor...(More)

Every new Renault ZOE to come with free home charge station, plus extensive standard equipment. Renault will provide all new customers – as well as those who have already pre-ordered a ZOE – with a free Single Wall-box and installation with British Gas. The offer follows the Government announcement that it will foot 75 per cent of the bill for installing a domestic Wall-box; this deal sees Renault cover the...(More)

Ile Seguin, Boulogne-Billancourt, France, March 19, 2013 - As part of Industry Week, Renault and Schneider Electric, with the support of the Boulogne-Billancourt town council and the SAEM Val de Seine Aménagement, invited 170 pupils from local high schools to discover the Ile Seguin site. (More).

Fuji Electric Corporation of America is releasing a new generation of UL-Certified 25kW DC Quick Charging Stations for electric vehicles, offering a slimmer, sleeker version aimed at a wider variety of applications and...(More).

Fuji Electric’s newly designed FRC Series of Quick Chargers for Electric Vehicles offers the ability to charge a 25 kWh electric vehicle battery in less than 60 minutes. The systems feature the CHAdeMO interface for compatibility with currently available electric vehicles. Level 3 Electric Vehicle charging allows for quickly charging the vehicle battery directly, bypassing the vehicle on-board charger. This arrangement is faster and more efficient than...(More).

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Plugshare now lists (Their Numbers) a total of 15,991 Stations

They use dynamic tracking to both add new - and remove redundant, or test stations that are dropped..

Over the last 24 hours - there have been 16 New Public Chargers added to the PlugShare network, plus 27 New Photos, and 2 New home stations being shared. 2 Restricted Stations were also added. The Small town of Seward, NE (Pop. 6,964) added 3 Public stations in their town today! That's about 1 public Charger per 2,321 people!

The additions tracked are:

New Public Chargers Added = 16

New Restricted Stations added = 2

New Photos Added = 27

New Home Stations Shared = 2

68People Checked into Public EV Chargers today.

The last person counted today - was 'T-Bag Checked in at Burgerville, Portland, OR'

Special thanks to Pat Steele (Santa Cruz, CA), and Ajay (Rockville, MD) for sharing their Home stations access with us today!

New Public Stations today, by Name & Location (where possible):

Casa de Fruta RV Park, Hollister, CA

AQMD Diamond Bar, CA

Ford Country - Dealership, Prosser, WA

Ray Brant, Marrero, LA

1740 Stewart St., Santa Monica, CA

LeBlanc Nissan, Gonzales, LA

Natick High School, Natick, MA

Kohl's Merchant's Walk #444, Marietta, GA

Insight, Tempe, AZ

Polaris Realty, Vancouver, BC

Nedco, Prince George, BC

Waltham Woods, Waltham, MA

Seward Memorial Library, Seward, NE

Seward Senior High, Seward, NE

Concordia University, Seward, NE

Colton City Hall, Colton, SD

New Restricted Stations today, by Name & Location (where possible):

NEX 32nd St., San Diego, CA

Add Energie - Demonstrateurs, Quebec, QC

This is one of the average days of growth and activity, not so much and not so little!

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Plugshare is now tracking 15,995 Total Stations!Based on my counting!

Over the last 24 hours - there have been 8 New Public Chargers added to the PlugShare network, and 1 Restricted Charger, plus 48 New Photos, and 8 New home stations being shared.

The additions tracked are:

New Public Chargers Added = 8

New Restricted Stations added = 1

New Photos Added = 48

New Home Stations Shared = 8

119 People Checked into Public EV Chargers today, which means that while it was double or triple the last few days, most people are still charging up at home, and 119 needed a little extra or did not have a home charger! Or they were checking out charging stations before they needed them - to get a feel for the locations! Maybe - with warmer weather - and new EV Buyers - comes more public charging, too!

It was a Sunday, and while it was pretty quiet on growth of listing new public chargers, it was quite active on Electric Vehicle Owners getting out and using the public EV Charging Infrastructure! As also witnessed by the larger number of photos added today! Also - a larger number of personal Charger points were shared today.

Have you shared a charge Point of your own yet on PlugShare? Personal Station - just select 'Share My Station' from the main menu. Public Stations - Select 'Add Public Station'. Remember - to complete the correct Address, Street Number, Name, and City/State. Also - add a phone number, too!

The last person counted today - was 'New Checkin at Best Western Plus, Milton, ON CS90'

I had some issues with my phone today - and the app seemed to lock up, so I borrowed my Wife's iPhone to gather the data today, using the iPhone Plugshare App, instead of the Android App! While both apps get the data - they present it in a little different format each!